Starting out now - what are the essentials?

I've noticed many here are already experienced chocolate makers, so I apologize for the very basic question.I started my first chocolate training this past Monday and I am absolutely excited about this new world that is opening up for me.I want to start small, learn slowly and create beautiful, tasty chocolate (like everyone else, I guess). But I am not sure I understand what I really need to get started from home.What would be the essential tools to get started?This is what I think I need:- Couverture chocolate- Bowls- Pans- Rubber or wooden spatula- Thermometer- Gloves- Cocoa powder, cocoa nibs, etc (to cover the truffles, for instance)What else? Am I missing something critical? I know there is a lot more to it, but I want to get started sooner than later.Thank you,Andre CostaChocolatier-to-be
updated by @andre-costa: 04/10/15 05:15:50PM

Chocolate melterTemperer (optional)IR Thermometer (I think it is essential...)Chocolate Refrigerator with a fanMolds (if you're doing molding)Ganache frames and/or caramel rulersetc. etc. etc.Bon courage!

I should move the "sense of adventure" to the top of my list.Thanks. Great tips.

Thank you. The IR thermometer is absolutely on the top of my list! Chocolate refrigerator? ai ai ai...this thing is going to get expensive!

Hi Andre, these things don't necessarily have to be expensive. With tasks like cooling and tempering, the most important thing is to understand what the tool is doing and how. This is just some basic chemistry that will have been explained by people like Minifie and Beckett (who have published books on the subject). So start with some study and research to get a grip on what is going on.Once you understand that, you can look around for cheaper, or free alternatives. Often other industries have very similar equipment that is available cheaply second hand and can be adapted. You may even find that you can do things like tempering by hand, or partly by hand (of course this is dependent on the quantities that you are working with).

Hi Devil, can you tell us how big a batch you can temper? When you say manual, do you use a jacketed pot and automatic stirrer/scraper, or is it all by hand?

Thanks for the feedback Devil, much appreciated. Necessity is the mother of invention and it sounds like you have come up with a pretty neat and affordable solution for tempering.

Nice job all round then. Premises can be one of the hardest things to get (expensive if you are renovating, or doing it yourself). Sharing is a great idea if the hours suit. I was in Melbourne in the 90's, but moved north following work. Ask your partner if she knows where a number 6 tram goes from and to - that will give you a good idea of where I used to live and work ...

Hi Langdon Stevenson.Thank you for the info.I started my first chocolate training this past Monday, so we've been tempering like crazy and all by hand. I like it a lot, honestly, but I also know it will become "old" after a while - and, as you said, depending on the quantities I start working with.I still need to do some more research on tempering machines - the feedback I've heard so far have not been great...probably because the people I've been listening to are also newbies to the subject.

I am so glad to be surrounded by such a generous group of people.Some of you guys have been on the road for a while and have a lot of experience. Still, when a newbie ask such a basic question, you are open and helpful.Thank you!

This discussion has been a big help to me yes for us here in southern Philippines we do not have an expert on chocolate making, so we are on our own and thanks to the internet we get a glimpse of what should a chocolate artisan should have. We have been growing cacao for at least 30 years and our only product aside from beans is the traditional pure chocolate tablets molded by hand. It is used in making hot chocolate and chocolate rice porridge (in our dialect champorado). Tempering is foreign to us so I have really to learn the craft. Thanks a lot for you guys1

It really depends on where you are going, what you need. A lot of stuff can be found in a moderately equipped kitchen. I started out with a thermometer and such that I had in my kitchen. I made ganache and truffles and nut butter cups by painting chocolate into foil cups. No molds, no tempering machines, no caramel bars. I have my chocolate set in an unheated room on the north side of my house instead of a chocolate fridge.I now have more equipment and am making a variety of confections, not just chocolate. Tho' chocolate remains the center of what I'm doing. I'm still working out of my kitchen. I have purchased a small tempering machine and gotten a hold of a marble slab I picked up for free. Next up is caramel bars. Instead of buying them from a kitchen supply place, I'll be buying them from a metal supplier. You can get 316SST bar stock, which, when sterilized is food grade. Many places will for a small fee, cut to length. It's less expensive that way.So, Andre, which way do you want to go? That will determine what equipment you need, if any.

Hi Debby.The idea behind it all is that I want to work with chocolate professionally. I am still not sure whether opening a retail store (at some point in the future) is part of the plan, but I do want to change careers for something more independent and creative.I will start working out of my kitchen, and I know I will start small, without trying to buy every single gadget I see. I am going slow, but steady.Thank you for your notes. That's very helpful.